Hylden Havoc
by Gemeni9000
Summary: Sequel to I'm a WHAT?: Revamped. Raziel seems to have escaped for good from Kain and his empire. But when Turel dissapears after searching for his brother the vampires have other things to deal with.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:- The Legacy of Kain series and it's characters is owned by crystal dynamics and originated from silicon knights. I get no money from typing this up. 

A/N: Okay. I am fed up with my previous LOK fanfic. I hate it. I'm going to at least revamp it at some point, but I have been coming up with some plots for more stories in other fanfic sections. Plus, I have lost my interest for LOK. But then I figured I should do something about this story I had. So this should be an off shoot from a would-be-revamped version of "I'm a WHAT?"

* * *

Melchiah knelt in front of the shortened pillar of balance where Kain sat patiently, a deceivingly calm yet thoughtful look crossed his features as the last of his lieutenants presented himself and his new gift of becoming insubstantial. Not that it surprised Kain, having received the gift himself. Melchiah eventually got up from kneeling, looking around at his brethren assembled around him, noticing that two where missing; the two eldest sons of Kain where not present. He frowned, presuming that both Raziel and Turel, as stuck-up as they were, would not bother to witness Melchiah's transformation, as it being beneath them. That at least would have been typical after all the centuries that Melchiah knew them. But the Turel would at least have been loyal enough to Kain to come when he was summoned. The group of vampires was eventually dismissed and Melchiah scratched his bald head. He turned towards Zephon, the one other vampire lieutenant that he trusted the most as he, too, was considered as a lesser vampire by their elder kin. "Greetings Zephon." He nodded.  
"Greetings Melchiah it is good to see you have awakened"  
It would have been polite to start the conversation asking of what the latest news was. But Melchiah was too eager to hear Zephon confirm Melchiah's suspicions about Raziel's and Turel's absence. All the better to feel justified in his anger against them. And so he asked Zephon; "Why weren't Raziel and Turel present at my presentation"  
"Oh that." Zephon shrugged. "Apparently Raziel had lost his mind after and accident when he and Dumah where sparring. In his madness, he has made several attempts to run away. I do not know too much about the situation as I have tried not to get involved in the whole debacle. "But I think that Raziel escaped again and this time has succeeded in not getting caught again. And seeing as how it has been a long time since Kain has seen even a glimpse of what used to be his precious first-born, he has sent Turel out to find Raziel, and bring him back"  
"What the..." Melchiah raised his eyebrows in surprise. This wasn't exactly the reason for their absence that he was expecting. But he quickly furrowed them again. "How long has this been going on"  
"Not long after you had began to undergo hibernation. But it has been some time since then. And now, I think Turel has not been heard of for almost a month"  
This time Melchiah's eyebrows stayed up. "He has?" He stayed silent for a moment. "Not that I care about those two conceited brothers." He added quickly.  
Zephon merely shrugged non-believingly. Despite the lie, though, Melchiah knew that although he often tired of both Raziel's and Turel's behaviour towards their younger brethren, he found all of this new troubling and he found himself concerned. Even if the concern was minor.

* * *

From the throne, as the two lesser lieutenants left the richly adorned room, Kain listened quietly, tracing the blade along the reaver he held absently. He, however, was more concerned than Melchiah was. It was bad enough to lose one son. But now Turel was missing too. And though he cared more for his first-born, this did not mean he did not care about his other lieutenants either. He wondered if he had made a mistake sending Turel after him, after the Razielhim proved to be of absolutely no use in finding their former master. Perhaps, the Sarafan Raziel whom Raziel had become may have attacked, and succeeded in killing Turel. The man obviously held no reservations against killing a vampire, even if it was his former brother-in-arms. But that was just an assumption, however likely that would have occurred. They may have not even have found each other, let alone fought. Kain would never know what had happened to either until he went and found out for himself. And thus thinking that, Kain gave the reaver one last glance, seeing a distorted reflection of himself in its surface, before placing the reaver unsheathed on his back. He got up, informed a Razielhim that was to wait on him of his plans, and set off to look for his two missing sons himself. His other vampires could look after his kingdom themselves, and hopefully he would not be gone for too long.

* * *

Turel, however, was not dead. At least, not anymore than he had been during his entire unlife. No, what had happened to him was much worse...

* * *

Turel had been looking for Raziel for some time, doing his best to search for his brother and obey his master, Kain. He had lost Raziel's scent ages ago and had passed his own clan's territory. Past the stacks used to cover Nosgoth's skies with smoke and block out the sun, which was harmful to many vampires, although Turel was old enough not to worry so much about sunlight. He was getting further and further away from Kain's empire and was now almost within the mountain ranges, which the smog-stacks lined. Turel shook his head, wondering to himself why he should search this place of all places for Raziel. He had spotted the "day" before a humanoid figure on one of the mountains, towards where he knew to be a system of caves. It was quite a distance away, but even though his sight was not as good as most vampires, he had at least catch that one glimpse. But that figure could have been anything. It could have been any vampire. It could have even been a human. Although, if he hadn't known any better, he could have sworn that that figure in the distance had a pair of wings. His curiosity getting the worst of him, Turel had began the journey upwards into the mountains, hoping to still find Raziel, or at least find something of interest that might be of use to him or Kain.

The trip up was uneventful, albeit long and tiring. Once he reached the cave entrance, he was not at all surprised to see that the figure, whoever it might have been, was gone. He started off into the caves, eyes adjusting to the pitch-black darkness. Not far into the cave, however, he saw a glimpse of a swift side-to-side movement. A shadow against shadow.  
"Who goes there?" He asked aloud. He did not hear an answer, however, but he did hear the shuffling of some slight movement. After a moment of waiting, Turel called out again. "Raziel?" He asked, hopefully. He heard something move quickly behind him and spun around to face a being hidden in shadow that Turel had difficulty seeing past. A being who towered over Turel and glared down at him with glowing green eyes, a pair of wings predatorily hooding themselves around Turel, before Turel backed off, hissing. The being grabbed Turel's forearms, and Turel retaliated, striking the face of the being with his talons. The being hissed back and let go of Turel, who backed off further closer to where there was at least some light. He raised his fists, ready to fight if needed. But as the being approached Turel's fists relaxed, and his face gave off one in recognition. "Wait! I know of you! You're..." Turel didn't get a chance to finish the sentence however as a flash of green light enveloped him.

* * *

Raziel, however, was some distance away from where Turel was looking, though. He had kept himself as far away from any vampiric territory as much as he could. This time, he was going to stay free. This time, he would not be captured again. He stayed some distance from human settlements, too though. Not only because they seemed to have animosity towards sarafan, but also because he feared for them with his presence as a risk to them. The fear seemed ill-founded, however, as somehow, after hearing about Mobius' murder, his resolve had become strengthened and he no longer had to worry so much about any vampiric urges, sustaining himself on other various liquids instead of human blood. And so Raziel dared to venture close enough in an effort to protect at least some humans, though it never seemed to be appreciated.

His efforts in keeping himself hidden from Kain's empire had this time been more successful. It had been months since he had escaped and had stayed free. He smiled underneath the black hood, which he used to hide his vampiric face. But it fell when he considered that he had no idea what to do, for although he could now fight blood lust, he now had immortality to contend with. He contemplated the dead rabbit in his talons, before tossing it towards the young girl before him. He did not know the family that lived in the shoddy home that he stood near, but he knew enough to know that this particular family was poor. He didn't say anything, turning to leave once the girl received the Coney, only to almost run into a rusty knife aimed at his neck.  
"You! Stay away from my daughter!" An old, raggedly dressed man threatened as his daughter scurried away to hide. "We don't want anything from you"  
"Don't worry." Raziel lifted up a concealed talon in a peaceful gesture, trying to reassure the old man. "I'm not going to hurt her. I'm not like other vampires"  
"No, no..." The old man jabbed the knife closer, which Raziel dealth with by batting the man's hand away to the side. "It's not because you're a vampire. Oh, no! I know who you are! I'm don't want you near our family again... Because I know that you're really a pr..." The old man didn't get to finish, as a female dropped down on top of him and deftly twisted the man's head in a blink of an eye.  
"NO!" Raziel gasped as the old man fell limp into the arms of a Razielhim. Apparently he had not been as well hidden as he had though he had been. By the look of things, this was the Razielhim which he had seen in Vasserbunde, and had been trailing him ever since. His face contorted into a snarl as he faced her.  
"See how it feels?" Rouge smirked; indicating the attitude the old man just had before she killed him. "No!" Raziel growled, spinning around. "Leave me alone! Stay away from me"  
Rouge watched Raziel run off, with a speed only a vampire could move at. But as the hooded figure shrunk as Raziel disappeared, Rouge didn't give chase. She just shrugged at Raziel's response and proceeded to feed off of the dead man before her. She was much too thirsty to travel too much further anyway. She would catch up with Raziel later. Vasserbunde wasn't too far away and perhaps she could take a chance to tell other vampires of the missing Raziel's whereabouts... After all Melchiah should have arisen from his sleep by now.

And speaking of sleep, Rouge noticed that not only was she too thirsty from her journeying, but tired too. She noticed the poorly constructed home nearby and decided it was as good a place to stay as any. The humans who resided within it would not be a problem.

* * *

Raziel was equally as tired, but he ignored the heavy feeling his body gave him, wanting to get as far away from the vampire that was following him as much as he could. By the time he let himself rest, he was on the other side of the Human Citadel, although he had kept towards the North. But he couldn't run any further. By the look of things, he had lost the vampire, and now would be as good as any time to get some rest. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:- The Legacy of Kain series and it's characters is owned by crystal dynamics and originated from silicon knights. I get no money from typing this up.

* * *

Although it was often that Melchiah visited Zephon within the silenced cathedral, getting into Melchiah's room was somewhat of a chore. It was preferable for Zephon to come to Melchiah's residence, but Zephon was all too often becoming reluctant to go outside his territory. It wasn't impossible or too ridiculous to get there, but it was enough of a chore showing that at least the humans had put up a good effort in trying to keep vampires out of the place before the cathedral had been taken over. Zephonim scurried away as he walked along the corridors and Melchiah began to feel self-conscious. He glanced down at his claws and noticed the fresh cracks already running along the skin, but dismissed it once he approached the doors to Zephon's room, the Zephonim symbol on each door reflecting each other. Melchiah didn't bother to knock, simply swinging the doors open. He had informed Zephon he would be coming today anyway.

It turned out, however, that he wasn't the only person to visit Zephon at the moment. Melchiah was surprised to see Turel in the room, who apparently had been in the middle of a conversation with Zephon before Melchiah interrupted them with his presence.  
"Ah, greetings Melchiah." Zephon greeted. "Zephon." Melchiah nodded to his brother. "And Turel... Good to see you"  
Turel simply smiled and nodded back in return. "From what I've heard though, you had disappeared for a while. Something to do with Raziel"  
"Hmmn? Oh yes, well, unfortunately I couldn't find him"  
"Apparently Turel has had a rough journey as so far and now that he's here it is our duty to provide him with some hospitality." Zephon explained, indicating Turel.  
"Right. I'm sure." Melchiah shrugged, inwardly groaning. "But let fledglings take care of that. While we wait, maybe you can explain..." Melchiah stopped when he felt Zephon's claw grabbed him by the wrist. "What are you..." Melchiah asked, startled. He noticed the doors behind him slam shut, and glared at Zephon to Turel, his look demanding Zephon to tell him what was the reason for this behavior. But a reasonable explanation was all that Melchiah was expecting, and Zephon took him by surprise when he twisted Melchiah's arm behind his back.  
"Aaaaaaaaaah! Zephon, why are you doing this?" Melchiah demanded, and looked to Turel for help, but Turel wasn't moving to help. His eyes, however, briefly flashed a glowing green. The slow, confident walk Turel made towards Melchiah unnerved him, eerily reminding Melchiah of how a vampire would hold down its prey before...

The thought was enough to convince Melchiah to get out of there. He used his newly gained ability and became insubstantial, his claw passing through Zephon's grasp, allowing Melchiah to get up and stagger back. He glanced from Zephon to Turel, enraged. "How dare you attack me! Why did you do that?" Melchiah demanded. But his two elder brothers ignored his barrage of questions. Instead, Turel hissed. "Get him!" It was warning enough for Melchiah, and he gave one final scowl at his brothers before turning for the door, but found the heavy thing was locked. The youngest lieutenant backed off from the door as a green bolt of energy splashed off the door, just missing his face. He spun to face Zephon, who was running up to him. But Melchiah wasn't taking any chances.

Something strange was going on with both Turel and Zephon, and he figured it was best if he consulted someone else about it. As Zephon approached he dove for the ground, disappearing into it, leaving Zephon and Turel staring at the spot they last saw Melchiah. Melchiah heard one of them cursing as he reappeared on the other side of the door, and made a bolt for it. He wasn't too sure what was going on. He had heard Raziel had gone nuts, but didn't know too much about it. Perhaps the insanity was because of some contagion? But then what kind of contagion would affect the undead?

* * *

Kain had been having better luck than Turel had as he searched for both him and Raziel. He at least had caught Raziel's scent to the far North, and had followed it to some field on the edges of some long-disused stone shrine, which Raziel had apparently been in. Kain looked around, but didn't find anything too spectacular. As Kain searched, he could tell Raziel had stayed there for sometime but had already departed. It was a simple, small stone building with crumbling statues lining the sides, and holes in the stone roof allowing in slants of sunlight here and there. All in all, it was actually a nice serene place.

Kain didn't see much of particular interest, and was about to leave, when he caught sight of a symbol on the far wall out of the corner of his eye; a serpentine sword on a background of concentric circles. Kain was certain he had never been in this place before, or at least not as far as his memory served. He produced his famous blade and used it like a key to open the stone door which the soul reavers symbol was set on. It slid aside, and Kain stepped forward. Raziel would not have entered the place; he didn't have the key to it. But Kain was curious enough to look inside anyway. The next room looked the same as the last one, although the roof looked a touch more secure, and this room did have a large statue of some being, kneeling down with a plate in it's hands, and on that plate was a simple silver bracelet.

And that was it. Whatever token the bracelet was, it didn't have anything else to protect it other than a door to which the reaver was the key. No puzzles, no traps, just a simple statue presenting a bracelet to Kain. He picked up the bracelet and examined it. It was big enough for even a large being like him to wear; it was silver, and patterned like a snake eating itself. It had to be of some use other than decoration, if the secure door was any indication. Kain slipped it on hesitantly, but nothing seemed to happen. Perhaps it had something to do with the soul reaver? Kain produced the blade from his back again, feeling the hilt from behind and growling as the blade sliced against his back slightly. Although it was his best weapon, it was a pain to carry, he thought to himself. But as he brought it forth, the reaver disappeared right in front of his eyes.

Kain stared at his hand for a while in disbelief. He was certain he had the reaver right there. He felt his back for a moment, but found nothing. He looked around the room, but he saw no sign of the blade. No, Kain was certain it had something to do with the bracelet he had just found. Angrily he ripped it off and threw it at the ground, sending sparks flying as it struck the stone floor. His soul reaver didn't come back though, and Kain realized that having a fit over a bracelet wasn't going to fix things. Instead, he relented, and picked the bracelet up. Perhaps if he could take a better look at it he could find way to bring back the soul reaver. He took the thing and left, still feeling irritated, although he didn't dare wear it again. He had already lost two of his sons, and now he had lost the reaver. He felt certain that things couldn't get any worse.

Little did he know just how much he would regret thinking those thoughts, and jinxing everything...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:- Characters aren't mine. 

A/N: This chapter involves me trying out my fight-scene writing skills. You have been warned.

* * *

It had been a while since Kain had found the bracelet, and Kain's long search for Raziel had led him to a decrepit old hut that had once belonged to a family of humans. Raziel's scent led away from the home but Kain decided to investigate the dwelling, just in case. Inside, he found the humans whom once lived there dead, their bodies hastily hidden away, but not so hidden Kain didn't notice them. He could tell that a vampire had been in there, but it wasn't Raziel... It was some Razielhim. On one of the beds, however, Kain noticed something was hidden underneath the blankets. He would have thought it was another deceased human, but as he peeled away the covers, he found instead a Razielhim that was curled up on the bed.

Irritated, he tried nudging her awake, but it didn't get any response. He tried hitting her, but nothing seemed to wake her. She wasn't dead, from what Kain could tell. Or at least, no more so than what she was before. Eventually Kain gave up and headed back outside to go back to finding Raziel. He would deal with lesser vampires later. He went back outside to resume his search for his first born, when he spotted a vampire walking along the field that the hut sat in, sticking to a line of trees. The vampire spotted Kain and then headed towards him. It was a Melchiahim, judging by the grey skin and symbol on his back.  
"Lord Kain." The Melchiahim bowed hastily.  
"Yes, and what brings you here, Melchiahim"  
"I've come to bring word from Lord Melchiah that Turel has arrived back in your empire sir"  
"Ah." Kain smiled. "Some good news for once. Did he bring Raziel back with him"  
"No sir"  
"Great. Well at least Turel is back. Go back and tell him to stay and guard his territory"  
"Sir, there is something else as well"  
"Yes? And that is?" Kain crossed his arms impatiently.  
"Melchiah has been claiming that something strange has been going on with Turel since he had come back. Both him and Lord Zephon." The Melchiahim went on.  
"Zephon?" Kain's brow furrowed in confusion. What would Zephon have to do with anything?  
"That is what he says. Something about Lord Turel and Lord Zephon also going out of their minds"  
"What the"  
"It is what I have been told to tell you sir." The melchiahim added.  
Kain raised a brow in thought. He still had to look for Raziel, but if his other lieutenants were going to also act up along with him... And more of a concern, what had caused this?  
"Did he tell you anything further?" Kain asked the Melchiahim.  
"No sir, but he advised that perhaps you should return"  
Kain felt slightly torn. Something was nagging him to go and continue his search for Raziel still, but he put that down to concern. However, Kain was starting to get fed up with the Sarafan that Raziel now was and was just about ready to give up on the man. Let him run off and get himself killed if he wanted to. Kain had his other sons and an empire to run after all. Why should he run after Raziel, and give him the satisfaction of letting his empire collapse because of him? Kain was hesitant, but eventually gave a growl. "Very well then." Kain began the long trek back.

* * *

Turel's territory was typically more industrialized than the other territories. A giant smokestack stood at the center while smaller ones stood to the larger one's right and left, making a line tracing a nearby mountain range. The territory laid down nestled in its valley; the larger stack loomed up much closer than the mountains giving it an ominous feel. But with the amount of much-required smoke pouring out of it, blocking out the sun, the stack wasn't ominous to vampires; it was a haven for fledglings. Here was the busiest part of Kain's empire, with both Turelhim and human servants jostling as Kain observed a stack sending out smaller wisps of smoke as he stood in a position high up enough to give him a good view of the clan territory.

Kain had arrived from the North west from his search, and though the sun had been mostly blotted out of the sky so that vampires no longer needed to fear sunlight, it was custom still for vampires to sleep during the day thus making the place quieter as Kain arrived.

He did not to walk the easy yet slower path down but instead opted to jump down, landing on the ground without injury, then walking through the buildings at the edge of the area, and making straight for Turel's personal residence to see what was wrong with him. He really didn't expect much to happen along the way, but was somewhat a bit of good fortune that he did arrive during the day, as there was enough light despite the smoke to see a silhouette of a familiar figure among some buildings. At first Kain was too surprised to believe it, but when he checked again, and caught better sight of the figure before it noticed it had been seen and ran away, he was certain that what he had seen was real.  
"Not those Hylden again!" Kain groaned, shaking his head. Somehow the Hylden had escaped the dimension that imprisoned them, although Kain wasn't sure how. He ran over to the place where he last saw the hylden going, but found it long gone. He began searching around the surrounding buildings, and ended up running into Turel.  
"Turel?" Kain backed off surprised. He was about to ask what he was doing there but found it a ridiculous question, as it was his territory after all. Then he remembered why he was supposed to be there in the first place. "Good to see you back Turel. Although I would like to know where you have been all this time, and if you had found any sign of Raziel"  
Turel didn't answer, and just watched Kain silently. Kain's brows furrowed as Kain noticed this. Usually Turel was the most loyal of his lieutenants, barring Raziel. It wasn't like Turel not to answer to Kain. Then again, the Melchiahim runner had told Kain that Turel had been acting strangely since he had come back.  
"Turel?" Kain prodded, eliciting no response. "Why aren't you..." Kain didn't get a chance to finish as he had to duck from the blow the hylden standing behind him attempted on Kain.  
"Nice try." Kain spun around, sliding his foot under the hylden tripping it over. He kicked it into a wall, and was about to produce the reaver then hissed when he remembered that it was now gone. The hylden was getting up now, but there was another one running around the corner and Kain wasted no time slashing at repetitively with his claws, but the hylden blocked him, and Kain saw the first hylden, though wounded on it's side, approach Kain.  
"TUREL!" Kain snapped, starting to get angered at Turel for simply standing back with arms crossed.  
'Oh well, at least he's out of my way.' Kain thought to himself, leaving a pair of gashes along the second hylden's face, getting a blow in, but not without it coming without a cost, as the hylden managed to hit him in the chest. Kain disappeared and reappeared behind the hylden, knocking it away hard and into the first hylden.  
As the hylden struggled to get back up again, Kain turned to face them again, but was slammed in the side hard, and pushed against a wall, leaving a deep indent as stone crumbled around Kain.

The uber-vampire turned in time to see it had been Turel who had attacked Kain, just before his head was knocked to the side as Turel pummeled his face again and again. Kain slunk down the wall to avoid the blows then teleported away from the wall he had been cornered against, reappearing behind Turel who spun around looking to see where Kain went. Kain grabbed Turel's fists as he tried to punch him in the chest, and slammed his head into Turel's, knocking Turel against the wall Kain had just been slammed into, a trickle of blood sliding down Turel's forehead as he collapsed down. Before the hylden could get too close to Kain as they tried once again to approach, Kain spin-kicked the closest one to the side and the other one backed off.

Kain looked from the two hylden to Turel who flipped back up, his concussion healing even as Kain watched. He had no idea what was going on other than this having to do something with the hylden, but Kain had no idea what would drive Turel to attack him with them. Nevertheless, Kain was ready to face all three of them, soul reaver or no, and though he knew he could defeat them, he had the problem of keeping his opponents down. Especially Turel. But as he faced the three of them off, Melchiah appeared out of the ground and next to Turel. Not expecting Melchiah to be there, and not able to so much as hear him approaching, Melchiah was able to slash Turel deeply in the ribs. Turel staggered back, holding the gash that was profusely leaking out blood. He looked from Melchiah to Kain and back again, then glanced at the two hylden who were backing away. Something passed between them, then all three turned and ran off behind a building.  
"Lord Kain." Melchiah bowed. But Kain started to run off after the hylden.  
"Kain!" Melchiah called out in alarm. "Please wait"  
"Do you know who they were?" Kain demanded of Melchiah.  
"You told us all of something called "the unspoken" before"  
Kain stopped looking ready to take off after the hylden. "Turel has been possessed, hasn't he"  
"From what I have observed." Melchiah replied dryly.  
"And Zephon as well"  
"And Rahab, probably Dumah, and half of the Rahabhim, the Dumahim, the Turelhim, The Zephonhim"  
"And the Razielhim?" Kain asked, a realization hitting him.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Smoke: Yeah, I hope they braid together too. The splits I do mostly because I have several scenes I type out and need something to put in between each. I also hope the plot makes sense. Especially at the end, I'm putting in a plot twist although it might make Raziel look either in or out of character, depending on how you look at him. Anyhoo, I hope I fixed up the plot-hols in these two chapters. Thanks for pointing out earlier ones. Oh yeah, as for the bracelet, I'm not telling yet:) 

Drakenhoff: Raziel is too nice in which story? Just this one or both this and "I'm a what?", if it's just this one he's supposed to look like that, the whole "no villian is really 100 evil the road to hell is paved with good intentions" and so forth. But don't worry further along the story Raziel is going to do something rather cruel.

Disclaimer:- The Legacy of Kain series and it's characters is owned by crystal dynamics and originated from silicon knights. I get no money from typing this up.

* * *

Melchiah and Kain stood warily, stopping when they had reached the entrance of the Razielhim clan territory. Emptiness and silence greeted them in return. There was no bustle of vampire activity like the Turelhim territory, but even though neither of the vampires expected that much, there were no gaggles of fledglings dotted here and there before the statues of Raziel and Kain. The only thing either of them could here was a slight breeze whistling through the cracks of the walls, while the weapons decorating the brick walls gleamed dully.

Kain narrowed his eyes, puzzled by the silence, and walked over to a pair of spears adorning the left wall. He studied the weapons a moment before pulling one then the other out with an audible clanging, tossing one of them to Melchiah who deftly snatched it out of the air, then flipped it to get a better hold. Melchiah glanced at Kain who gave him a wary look back, not even needing to say that something was amiss considering how obvious that fact was. Instead Kain jerked his head indicating for Melchiah to follow as he strode up the stone steps, their hooves echoing in the empty antechamber, both of them looking around warily for any sign of activity, be it good or bad.

It wasn't long until the entered the more residential part of the Razielhim territory, opening a door and finally finding a Razielhim, although that one was asleep. As they checked the other Razielhim they found, the rest of that clan was also in a similar condition.  
"Odd." Kain said thoughtfully to his youngest son. "Usually, no matter what the time is, at least one of them would be awake and guarding the area. And some of them should be able to be roused. It couldn't be them hibernating, it's too soon after you and your Melchiahim evolved.  
"Or could it?" Melchiah replied.  
"Hmmm." Kain stood looking at the one currently in front of him thoughtfully. "Then again it could be indeed. But for how long? And if they are, why haven't the Hylden made any moves to finish them off while they are defenseless"  
"Maybe they want to use them as soon as they wake up." Melchiah offered.  
"Would there even be that many Hylden to take over the Razielhim as well as whom they already have?" Kain added. Melchiah didn't answer. Neither of them knew, nor wanted to know. After a pause, Kain then spoke up.  
"And another thing, if the Razielhim are in hibernation, then that also means that Raziel, wherever he had gotten to, is also asleep"  
"...Which gives us a bit of a load off of our shoulders." A voice said from the doorway. "Not that I couldn't handle it"  
Kain and Melchiah spun, instantly on guard with their spears ready, pointing at the owner of the voice which turned out to be Dumah, who was watching Kain and Melchiah casually.  
"Dumah!" Melchiah exclaimed.  
"The one and only." He smirked.  
"How are we to know if you really are Dumah, though?" Kain asked suspiciously.  
"Me? After what I've seen happen to half of my Dumahim, how am I to know for sure that you two are really Lord Kain and my brother Melchiah?" Neither of them replied. "...Besides, if I were one of whatever is trying to take over, the Razielhim wouldn't be hibernating, they would be dead, since I'm the only one that has been guarding them as well as my remaining Dumahim"  
"Well that explains the Razielhim." Melchiah shrugged. Kain however still looked skeptic. But he couldn't really come up with any sure way to know if Dumah had been possessed or not. But then, even if he didn't trust Dumah, Kain was sure that he was more than a match for him. "Very well then." Kain said, eyes still narrowed. "But that aside, I still have my empire to take back"  
"But how are we to do that? We are now up against Turel, Rahab, and Zephon, as well as who-knows how many vampires they have"  
"If we decide to do anything then, we should do it during the day. Rahab, being still sensitive to light, would be out the way then, and we can deal with him afterwards. As for vampires, do either of you know how many of yours are still free"  
"Most of mine, from what I can tell." Melchiah replied.  
"I only have about half of mine left; although I have been getting them to guard the Razielhim as well." Dumah explained.  
"And I still think there are some Turelhim which are still free"  
"Then we had better gather them before they are also lost. We should stay here with the Razielhim though, and gather here. Melchiah; you stay here and guard the Razielhim with the remaining Dumahim. Dumah, you and I shall find everyone else and bring them here"  
"As you wish." Melchiah and Dumah bowed, before they all went their separate ways.

* * *

Elsewhere. . . . .  
Turel stood before a tall figure in the shadows, it's dark, almost feather-less wings just visible in the gloom. "So Kain had escaped." The figure commented, although there was no anger in his deep voice. Turel said nothing in reply. "Don't be so concerned. I did not expect Kain to be defeated so easily. If he had been beaten, I would know that something would be wrong. But now everything is going according to plan"  
"Perhaps..." Turel nodded. "Although wouldn't it be best if we had one of our own that could keep an eye on him?" Turel asked the shadows.  
"There is no need to concern ourselves with that either. Trust me, all is going according to plan. For now, all we need to do is wait for Kain to make his move." "As for that, there has been news of Kain in the Melchiahim territory gathering free vampires"  
"Like I said; everything is going as planned." Although Turel couldn't see the figure's hidden face, he could see the confident smile through the glowing green eyes that shone out.  
"Could have at least told me those plans." Turel said under his breath. But the figure had heard. "It is simply a tactical way for everything to go smoothly." The figure said with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Now, you have your orders"  
Turel gave a small bow before turning away and leaving. The figure in the shadows watched him go briefly. "Soon Kain..." Janos smiled.

* * *

"We need to attack at sunrise, this at least gives the enemy a disadvantage without Rahab and his kin. Although this would also be a disadvantage to those here who are fledglings, but we need to use as many people available as we can. Therefore any fledglings will be assigned to the third group to stay with the hibernating Razielhim, out of the sun, to guard them, with those Turelhim selected to help. Dumah will lead this group..." Kain spoke to his audience that had gathered in the Razielhim antechamber, the crowd big enough it was spilling outside through the corridors beyond like an overflowing bag of grain. A good sign to Kain. "But as for everyone else, we are going to attack the Hylden which have taken a hold of Both Turel and Zephon, as well as many vampires. They have been amassing in the silenced cathedral more than anywhere else, so that is where we are going to attack.

"The first group will be any of the Dumahim who are no longer fledglings. Lead by me, you will make the first assault. The remaining Turelhim who have not been selected to stay here will be sent ahead before any of this to scout ahead, before reporting back. They will provide cover for the first group, while the second group, consisting of the remaining Melchiahim, will make the second assault on my signal, both of which will be lead by Melchiah. This should be more than enough to break through any defenses that they have put up. After that, whomever remains will form one group and will enter the silenced cathedral itself, and attack anyone else in there. Then both me and Melchiah will head out to find both Turel and Zephon." Kain paused for a moment, looking down at his audience checking to make sure that they were absorbing what he was telling them, and found all eyes were attentively on him.

"Right. Now I'm sure you all recognize the fact that these aren't mere humans that we are attacking, but other vampires. They will not go down like humans, and even if they do, they can get back up again, although all of you also have the ability, it best each of have a weapon available. Not only are these other vampires, however, but they have also been possessed. Although it is best to kill your opponent, if the opportunity comes, try to either knock him or her out so we can deal with removing the hylden influence later when we win. Staking them can also be an option, although another enemy can easily remove the stake again, so you all need to keep that in mind. And, if at any point I give the order to retreat, head straight back here if you can.

"We will attack the next day at sunrise. Until then I suggest all of you get prepared for what all of you have been assigned to do. Any questions?" Someone towards the back spoke up. "Why not make a dash for the cathedral while the attack's going on"  
"Because it's best to stay in a group. Besides, the aim of this attack isn't infiltration. We want our old brethren either back or dead. I have dealt with the Hylden before, and although I had found their weakness, by cutting off the portal to their world, I do not know where the portals to their world would be now. That, and even if I did, I do not have the means yet to seal it up. So we'll have to use another tactic to get them out, which is to kill them, or to knock down any host they are in and keep them down until the Hylden hopefully realizes that they aren't going to be doing anything with their host that they are in. Any more questions"  
"How will we be able to tell our Turelhim and Dumahim from the enemies?" A female asked.  
"We wont. If any of them attack you, don't hesitate to fight back. Any thing else"  
The crowd below him asked nothing more.  
"Good then. Dismissed." The crowd in front of him turned away from him and began to filter out, most of them heading towards the Razielhim territory to stay. Most of their talk involved the upcoming battle, and they all knew that they might not make it out alive. Kain however felt confident that he would win, as he usually did, however, he frowned as he remembered he no longer had his reaver, which he was sorely beginning to miss. He hadn't for a long time gone into battle without it, and it felt like he had lost an old friend. And speaking of which, he was also beginning to miss his first lieutenant. Hopefully, once this was over, he could return to getting Raziel back. He would have liked to dwell more on a plan to do that, but he had a battle to deal with, and he had to focus on that first.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:- The Legacy of Kain series and it's characters is owned by crystal dynamics and originated from silicon knights. I get no money from typing this up.

* * *

The rocky surroundings stopped being monotonous as Kain and his troupe of Dumahim approached the drawbridge to the silenced cathedral, a pair of bored-looking Zephonhim standing guard while on either side of the bridge was a moat, which was typically a problem for any vampire. Both of the Zephonhim tensed when they saw Kain and his army.  
"Greetings Lord Kain." One of them spoke with a terse politeness.  
"Greetings." Kain replied.  
"State your business." The other one demanded.  
"Since when do I, Lord Kain, have to state my business?" Kain sneered.  
The two Zephonhim glanced at each other, before the politer one replied.  
"Please forgive my companion Lord Kain. It is almost the end of his shift and he doesn't usually stay up this far into the morning. But if you wish to pass and enter the Zephonhim territory you of all people may do so. I do not see why you brought a small army with you"  
Kain's brow furrowed, expecting some resistance. He began to doubt that that one Zephonhim at least was not possessed. His instincts however was screaming 'trap'  
"Thank you very much, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. If I may, I'd like to see your Lord Zephon as well as Turel, whom I believe is staying here"  
"Well if you want to see them..." The first guard began again.  
"...And I would prefer they could come out to see me instead." Kain explained.  
The two guards glanced at each other again. "As you wish." The polite one bowed then turned to enter the cathedral, leaving the other one to watch Kain and his company with narrow eyes. He heard the Dumahim behind him began to chatter quietly amongst them-selves as they waited.  
"Is he sure that they've all been possessed"  
"Maybe this is all some mistake"  
"No way, I saw some of them affected myself"  
"What's going to happen"  
"Hush." Kain snapped, and at once all the Dumahim were silenced. Kain turned back to the Zephonhim who was still watching them all warily. A few minutes afterwards Zephon approached from behind the gate. "Lord Kain." He bowed once he spotted the uber-vampire. "Zephon." Kain nodded.  
"What is it that you wish of me"  
Kain's eyes narrowed. "I want to take both you and Turel away from the Hylden"  
"Hylden? I don't know what you're talking about." Zephon gave a blank look.  
"I'm sure you don't." Kain replied, meaning the opposite. "In any case, you're coming with us"  
"And what will you do with me once you have me?" Zephon asked cautiously.  
"I don't know...Get it out of you... or something." Kain muttered, frustrated.  
"How? By exorcising me? You sound like a human!" Zephon laughed nervously.  
Wrong thing to say.  
In a flash, Kain's talons raked across Zephon's face, leaving two gashes across his cheek. Zephon backed off, hissing. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" He demanded. "Calling you a human? Why don't you stop acting like one then? Exorcism! What kind of 'father' pulls that nonsense on his 'Son?' when nothing is wrong with him, let alone those who are vampiric"  
"Don't play games with me." Kain hissed back. "Melchiah has already seen you possessed"  
"And why do you believe _him _and not _me?_"  
Kain stood there, contemplating what Zephon had asked, unable to answer. The question remained unanswered, however, as Zephon abruptly hunched over as if ill, interrupting Kain's thoughts as Zephon's eyes glowed a bright green, and anyone could tell that he knew the pretense was over. "Very well then, if that's how it's going to be." He said finally after regaining control. He jerked his head to the Zephonhim who was still waiting nearby, who opened the gate behind him, revealing a mixed army of Zephonhim and Dumahim.  
"Attack." Zephon ordered quietly, the vampires behind him streaming past to wash onto Kain and his army. Kain wasted no time attacking back, brining forth his makeshift sword (it wasn't the soul reaver but it sufficed.) and hacking off the arm of the first vampire to approach him. A pike skewered him before he had a chance to fall. Kain blocked the next vampire that came to him, the sword scraping along the pike the other held, a moment before Kain jerked his talon towards the vampire's neck and ripped his throat out. He then quickly spun to strike a Zephonhim female which attempted to attack him from behind, but she still managed to get a hit in, kicking him down, dangerously close to the moat.

He struggled to keep his face away from the water a moment before hopping back up and facing the vampiress, who was running towards him. Kain merely dodged while the vampiress' momentum kept carrying her forward and sent her into the water, where she floundered for a moment before dissolving. Kain didn't stand around to wait, however, slicing off another appendage of another vampire coming to attack then his other arm. A Dumahim moved into attack but was tackled by another Dumahim before Kain could react. The unpossessed Dumahim began kicking the downed vampire again and again while Kain saw a flash of green light from the other Dumahim.  
"Look out!" He yelled, but the other vampire didn't seem to notice, kicking the now unpossessed Dumahim into the water when the green light hit him. The Dumahim, now possessed, turned towards Kain, who merely shrugged then sent a bolt of energy towards the Dumahim, the electricity sparking through it's body a moment before it dropped down onto the ground, dead. Satisfied, Kain turned back towards the battle, assisting a Dumahim by stabbing his sword through the chest of another Zephonhim and leaving it there.

A second later Zephon himself slammed into him from the front, making Kain slide back a few feet. He steadied himself, ready to slash his once lieutenant with his talons when a bolt from above knocked Zephon down. As Kain approached to finish him off, Zephon quickly got off and shielded himself from Kain using a pair of Dumahim fighting each other, causing Kain to punch a hole right through one of them. "Thanks." The other Dumahim grinned, his eyes flashing green for a moment before another energy bolt from above hit him in the face and sent him into the water. Kain removed the dead vampire off of his arm, looking around for Zephon, but found out that he had lost him.

Looking at the battle's progress, however, Kain saw that although both sides numbers had dwindled by about a quarter, his side was still outnumbered by about two-to-one. It seemed that despite Kain's attacks, his side was gradually weakening. Now and then, the Hylden within the possessed vampires would leave when it looked like the vampire in them was about to die, then possess their attackers. It was becoming less like a battle and more like a pandemonium as everyone became confused who to attack, while the moat on either side of the drawbridge was becoming filled with the corpses of vampires. Turelhim standing on the rocky ledges above the battle shot bolt after bolt at any Zephonhim they could see, unsure if they should attack anyone else. "I guess now would be the best time." Kain observed. He turned and leaped up onto one of the rocky ledges overlooking the clearing, between a Turelhim and a boulder. He then pushed the boulder over the ledge and let it tumble down onto the ground; the sound of crashing rocks audible even over the din of all the fighting. Everyone was too busy defending themselves to bother figuring out what caused the racket, but then the next instant over a hundred Melchiahim shot up out of the ground amidst the battle. The possessed vampires looked at the Melchiahim that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. From the look of things, the tables had turned, and now both sides were equally matched...

* * *

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Our weaker brother should know better than to use the same trick twice." Turel mused from a window within the silenced cathedral, overlooking the fighting below, and seeing the Melchiahim give their not-so-surprising entrance.  
"True, but then again we are not exactly ones to talk." Janos commented darkly.  
"Whatever do you mean?" Turel inquired the possessed ancient next to him, puzzled.  
"Watch." 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:- The Legacy of Kain series and it's characters is owned by crystal dynamics and originated from silicon knights. I get no money from typing this up. This disclaimer is owned by me, and no-one can sue me for copying and pasting it from myself.

Subconsciously Rouge felt herself being lifted up and moved yet she was still too tired to so much as open her eyes to find out why, and went back into a deeper sleep. She could hear voices, calling out some chant but even that didn't rouse her until she felt what had at first been a pleasant warmth grow painfully hot. It was enough to wake her up after so long and her eyes flew open in alarm, then confusion as she tried to figure out what was going on. Around her was a crowd of humans still chanting something hateful and looking down she found out what the source of the heat was, the rope she felt around her wrists confirming the situation; she was being burnt at the stake.

"Ah drat." Rouge scowled, wrinkling her nose at the stinging scent of smoke and trying to lift her legs up away from the flame. Though she was stronger than the average human the ropes seemed to be strong enough to stop her from simply breaking them apart... Or perhaps with her position the angle was all wrong to do that. Rouge couldn't tell, beginning to panic unable to think of what to do. The fire was going to leap up any second and burn her to a crisp... And even a vampire couldn't survive that. The heat and the constant chanting of "Kill the demon" was giving her headache, and the other ropes holding her to the stake was getting to constricting with her struggles.

She didn't know what caused it, whether it was some sort of survival instinct or her racing mind finally noticed the changed, or maybe her rage triggered it somehow... But as the flames began to creep higher while the humans cheered, she felt another set of appendages stretch under the back of her shirt, the pair of them stretching out and ripping the fabric on the back and the rope binding her along with it. She quickly grabbed a hold of the stake to stop herself from dropping down into the fire with both her legs and her still-bound hands, the latter she tried experimenting her new appendages on by seeing if they could be used on those ropes too. It took a moment of awkward maneuvering but in the end she managed. Through the smoke that surrounded her blocking her from the view of the humans she once again braced herself against the stake, then she sprung out and over the fire, diving forward into the crowd beyond. She quickly used her claws to deeply slash the chest of the first human she reached then landing to kick another one back. Like she had hoped, the crowd of humans began moving away, and she barreled through. She didn't bother fighting so many, not that she could have. Besides, she simply wanted to get away.

Rouge was able to make her way through it when the mob stopped avoiding her and turned to give her chase. Rouge turned to see the mob charge after her. Groaning she began to run away, when she remembered the appendages on her back that saved her from the fire. She glanced behind her as she ran and found a pair of bat-like wings, both pale with blades at the end of each finger with a couple lining the outer edge. She didn't have much time to ponder more on them as the roar of the mob chasing her loudened, moving closer. She pushed herself on, trying to outrun them when she stopped.  
"Hang on, what am I doing?" She asked herself. She then took off into the air now no longer concerned with crowd that had been chasing her, laughing with relief.

_Black against black, branches blocked Raziel's view of the sky as he waited for something to appear from there. He was beginning to get impatient, nervous, and guilty, even. The fire in front of him helped both to keep him warm and give him some light allowing Raziel to see... As his eyesight was not as good as the vampire he was expecting to turn up, although the light made him feel insecure... Exposed... Allowing him to be seen by anyone who might decide to spy on him... Not that he knew of anyone who would... But you never knew. In any case, Raziel gave up craning his neck upwards, and looked forward in time to see a blue, ancient vampire in front of him, stepping into the firelight and revealing itself to be Janos Audron.  
"Oh, there you are!" Raziel relaxed a bit, hoping he could get the meeting over and done with.  
"You weren't followed, were you"  
"I don't think so. Then again, your senses are better than mine, so you tell me"  
"I couldn't see anyone nearby"  
"Good." Raziel nodded. "Now to business"  
"Are you sure about this?" Janos asked dubiously.  
"What? You're not telling me you're having second thoughts, after being so determined to do it yourself"  
"No, not me; you"  
"Me? Are you kidding? This is the best opportunity to finally give that jerk his comeuppance"  
"You hate him that much?" Janos raised an eyebrow in amusement.  
"You have no idea." Raziel muttered under his breath._

_'Wait a moment...'_ Raziel wondered to himself. _'Since when do I side with that devil?'_  
Slowly, Raziel stirred form his long slumber, disorientated, trying to wrap around his mind on what he last remembered. What was that?  
"Maybe it was me while my mind had been taken over." Raziel thought to himself. "But Janos would be dead then. Wouldn't he be? He creased his brow in puzzlement, before reaching a conclusion. "It was a dream... Not a memory, a dream. And that doesn't have to make sense." Raziel shrugged, the got up, stretching, putting the dream out of his mind. He really didn't want to know, although at least it was a welcome change to the vampiric ones he had been having so often.

Shrugging it off, he looked around the dark room he had been resting in. Fortunately he didn't need a torch to see, though he grimaced at the thought. Apparently he had made his way into some large library, and a familiar one at that. He could have sworn that this was the library not to far from Mobius' cavern. Then again, priests weren't supposed to swear anyway.

He walked up and approached one row of shelves, the books that were so familiar triggering memories that stood on the edge of his mind. He knew many of the books, yet during his life as a mortal, no matter how much time he spent getting to know the place, he never got the chance to read so many books. The place looked long disused, in shambles, with many of the shelves knocked over. But it was still a place that was a welcome link to his long lost past, making feel like he was at home after so long. Tracing a talon along a row of covers, he reached randomly for one book but stopped when he heard a noise. Turning he saw a female vampire, the same one that had been chasing him for so long, step out of hiding, though this time she looked different somehow.  
"Raziel? Is that you"  
"Damn you demoness, won't you just leave me alone?" Raziel snarled. So much for the library being a sanctuary. At once he turned to leave.  
"Wait!" She called after him. Raziel simply ignored her and began to run at a faster pace. The female kept up.  
"Raziel"  
"What, not 'Lord Raziel?'" The priest-turned-vampire sneered.  
"Huh?" She asked, puzzled, then shrugged it off. "Listen, I have to tell you something"  
"...And I won't listen. Go away!" Raziel began speeding up again. He was surprised when the vampiress suddenly dropped down from above right in front of him.  
"How?" He should have seen her run past him, his eyes were good enough to do that. But he only pondered on that for a moment. Snarling again, he shoved her to the side. "Get out of my way"  
This time the vampiress didn't follow after him. She stood there and watched him go.  
"Just look behind you." She called to Raziel's retreating form.  
"...And turn into a pillar of salt"  
"...On your back" She corrected. Raziel frowned and kept up his pace, trying to get as far away as possible from her. When he felt certain he was far away enough from her, he stopped, frowning again and doing his best to look at his own back. He didn't see anything but the black hood he had been using still to hide his form from so many, as well as giving him more conservative clothing. But then he noticed something. He didn't see much, but he did feel something. Hesitantly he peeled the hood of, craning his neck to look behind him.  
"Oh Good God..."

Rouge shook her head as she saw Raziel run away from her yet again. Sighing, she gave up on trying to chase him down. She had been gone from her own home long enough. It was due time she went back. Her clan would have wondered what happened to her anyway and she would be able to tell them what happened to Raziel too. Though it would not be pleasant to tell them that she had given up. Looking around the area though, she saw all of the books scattered around. She knew that she really should head back now, but her curiosity got the worst of her, and she picked one up and flicked through it, but did not find it interesting. Her nose wrinkled when she found out who the author was; Mobius, the manipulative time streamer that she had heard Kain talk so much of. She tossed the book over her shoulder. She was about to take off again when another though crossed her mind. 'Hang on, Mobius lived a long time ago. A really long time ago... Probably about the same time that Sarafan Raziel would have been 'alive.' _'Maybe, just maybe... I can find something here about his past... Something that can help snap him out of it'_  
"After all, knowledge is power." Rouge mused. But she had to get back first. She could start her research later. With that settled, she unfolded her wings and lifted off...

"Watch." Janos nodded, indicating the battlefield below and before them.

Kain watched triumphantly as Melchiahim began springing out of the ground, now outnumbering the hylden forces of possessed vampires. But he wasn't going to get cocky, no matter how likely it seemed he might win. He had no idea what the hylden would pull next. A backup of vampires could come pouring out from the cathedral, or from behind him. Whatever situation Kain prepared himself for though, it wasn't what happened next, though once it happened, he felt that he should have known all along.

Yes, Melchiahim now populated the battlefield, outnumbering the hylden two to one. The odds should have been for Kain. But as the possessed Zephonhim looked around hesitantly, looking defeated, the Melchiahim did not move to attack them. Everyone just stood there, facing each other. "Well, what are you waiting for? Attack!" Kain ordered. But the Melchiahim didn't do as he asked. Instead, one by one, they turned to glance at Kain, then turned to nearby Dumahim or Turelhim that Kain knew weren't possessed, and began to raise each of their weapons... Against them.  
"It couldn't be..." Kain began to back off, shocked. Was all of the Melchiahim possessed now too? If that were so, then his present army was now the one that was outnumbered. Kain looked around, weighing his options. He could stand and fight still, but even he, with his amount of strength, wouldn't be able to hold up against that many vampires. As much as he hated to admit it, it was time to retreat. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't done that before, what with his battle with the nemesis and all.  
"Retreat!" Kain called out his order. He stood ready to help those who could go to escape, brandishing a very bloodied sword. But no matter who tired to leave, another vampire would run off and cut him or her off. A few managed to reach Kain, but for the most part the majority was trapped. Kain knew he couldn't waste too much time, and turned to go himself, only to run into Zephon and Melchiah, standing calmly by a rock wall where Kain was going to leave. "Just where do you think you're going, _'father?'_" "Get out of my way or I'll cut through you too!" Kain threatened them, standing at the ready.  
"Awww I'm hurt. I thought you wanted to help us." Zephon feined shock.  
"Here's a better idea, why don't _we_ help _you_?" Melchiah offered.  
"What?" Kain asked. He was about to attack, but stopped when a Turelhim, still free, dashed past him and tackled Melchiah to the ground, surprising him. As he struggled to get the Turelhim off, Kain took the moment of opportunity to leap forward and knock Zephon down, then raised his fist to punch Zephon hard in the gut, leaving him on the ground in pain. Kain raised his sword to finish Zephon off, damned if he was going to let him live, whether Zephon was his lieutenant or not. He was stopped when something grabbed his raised talon, stopping Kain from attacking the downed Zephon. He saw Melchiah kick the Turelhim off of himself, the vampire hitting the opposite rock wall and falling down in a crumpled heap with a trail of blood marking where the Turelhim was thrown too. Kain struggled to move his wrist, seeing Melchiah get up to fight another pair of free vampires approaching him. But then Kain turned to see who was stopping him from attacking. There, in the flesh, was a sight he had never thought to have seen again; Janos Audron. And yet, not really Janos Audron.  
And that was the last thing Kain saw before "Janos" knocked him out with a knock from his own head.

Elsewhere. . .  
Dumah kept a constant vigil over the Razielhim territory. He doubted anything would happen here; everyone was at the battle. But Kain had told him to guard the area as well as the slumbering Razielhim, so guard them he did. He didn't have to like it though. If anything, it was boring, even if he was the one in charge. He would have preferred that Kain would realize that he was of better use in a fight, or at least better than Melchiah. Maybe even a match for Kain, or so Dumah liked to think. 'It's _probably because they don't trust me. They probably think I'm another one who's possessed.'_ Dumah thought to himself, scowling. He wasn't though, but there wasn't much he could do in a way to prove that, except do as he was told. _'Or maybe Kain is still angry with that all that kerfuffle with Raziel'_  
Dumah yawned. Then wondered why a vampire would yawn if a vampire didn't need to breathe. Yawning again as he pondered this he spotted a Melchiahim walk by. He didn't think much of it... Most of the Melchiahim around the place now were under his command. He ignored the fledgling and tried to recall what he was thinking about before.  
_'Oh yes, it was yawning'_  
Dumah, deep in thought again and paying no heeds to the Melchiahim sneaking around behind him and picking up a vase. The vase smashed into the back of his head knocking Dumah down, but not out. "What the..." Dumah asked, surprised at the attack. He turned to look behind him only to feel something much heavier slam into his back, this time knocking him out proper, only to be dragged away when a mass of Turelhim began to pour into the Razielhim clan territory.

A/N: Yep, Janos Audron is in this story. He was the 'mysterious winged figure in the shadows' in the earlier chapters.


End file.
